An onomatopoeia is a word that mimics the sound it names. For example, "The acorn plopped into the puddle." Typically, we associate plopping with raindrops. In this instance, we're using onomatopoeia to show the acorn is imitating that sound.

Since nature is full of color, sound, and wonder, it's a common go-to when writers and poets want to paint imagery into their writing. Without further ado, let's enjoy some examples of onomatopoeia in nature that you can use to make your writing more expressive and imaginative.

Onomatopoeia in Nature: Example Sentences

The rocks kerplunk as they fall into the lake.

Listen to the pitter patter of raindrops on the leaves.

The butterflies flutter as they take flight.

Bees busily buzz as they fly from flower to flower.

Lighting crackles and thunder rumbles.

The boulder hit the ground with a flump.

Leaves rustle in the wind and are whipped into the air.

The waves crashed against the rocks.

Snakes slither among the leaves.

The hail snapped small branches off the trees.

Onomatopoeia: Animal Sounds

Arf - dogs

Honk honk - geese

Awooooo - dogs and wolves

Meow - cats

Baa - sheep

Moo - cows

Bow-wow - dogs

Neigh - horses

Buzz - bees

Oink oink - pigs

Cackle - geese

Peep peep - chickens

Caw caw - crows

Purr - cats

Cheep cheep - birds

Quack - ducks

Chirp chirp - birds

Ribbit - frogs

Click - dolphins

Roar - lions

Clip clop - horses

Ruff - dogs

Cluck cluck - chickens

Squawk - parrots

Cock-a-doodle-doo - roosters

Squeak - mouse

Coo - pigeons

Tweet tweet - birds

Croak - frogs

Warble - wrens

Cuckoo - cuckoos

Whinny - horses

Gobble gobble - turkeys

Whisper - humans

Grrr - tigers

Whoop - zebras

Hee haw - donkeys

Woof - dogs

Hiss - snakes

Yowl - cats

Onomatopoeia in Nature Poems

It SHUSHES. It hushes The loudness in the road. It flitter-twitters, And laughs away from me. It laughs a lovely whiteness, And whitely whirs away

- "Cynthia in the Snow" by Gwendolyn Brooks

Piddle-paddle, piddle-paddle, splash, splash, splash Into the pool with a great big dash!

The clean water in a brook flows "sara sara". The scarce water in a brook flows "choro choro". It is raining "shito shito" softly. It is beginning raining "potsun potsun" softly. It is raining "zaa zaa" strongly or "jaa jaa".

- Japanese poem, Author unknown

Painting Word Pictures

What a wonder. We can create actual sounds with our words. This allows them to pop off the page and into our ears. With onomatopoeias, we don't just envision rain falling. We hear it plopping heavily on the creaking windowsill.

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Examples of Onomatopoeia in Nature

By YourDictionary

An onomatopoeia is a word that mimics the sound it names. For example, “The acorn plopped into the puddle.” Typically, we associate plopping with raindrops. In this instance, we’re using onomatopoeia to show the acorn is imitating that sound.Since nature is full of color, sound, and wonder, it’s a common go-to when writers and poets want to paint imagery into their writing. Without further ado, let’s enjoy some examples of onomatopoeia in nature that you can use to make your writing more expressive and imaginative.